Qualitative Research in Global Health Research

Abstract

This chapter discusses the contribution of qualitative research and its value in global health. Qualitative research alludes to “a broad approach” that qualitative researchers adopt as a means to examine social circumstances. The inquiry posits that people use “what they see, hear, and feel” to make sense of social experiences. There are many features that differentiate qualitative research from the quantitative approach. Fundamentally, it is interpretive. The meanings and interpretation of the participants are the essence of qualitative inquiry. Qualitative research is valuable in many ways. It offers researchers to hear silenced voices, to work with marginalized and vulnerable people, to address social justice issue, and to contribute to the person-centered healthcare and the design of clinical trials and plays an important role in evidence-based global health. Qualitative researchers are seen as constructivists who attempt to find answers in the real world. Fundamentally, qualitative researchers look for meanings that people have constructed. In this chapter, we discuss the value of qualitative research, qualitative inquiry in global health, qualitative research, and evidence-based practice in global health. The chapter also discusses in great depth some distinctiveness of the qualitative research, in particular the inductive nature of qualitative research, methodological frameworks, purposive sampling technique, saturation concept, qualitative data analysis, and the trustworthiness of a qualitative study. We also provide a concrete example of how a qualitative study was undertaken using details from the research project that we have conducted.